Maria Sibylla Merian: a naturalist and illustrator in the late 1600s who was among the most significant contributors to the study of entomology and insect metamorphosis

S: But first, Bob, you're gonna tell us about the Forgotten Superhero of Science.

B: For this week's Forgotten Superheroes of Science, I'm covering Maria Sibylla Merian (Mary-an) M-E-R—I-A-N. How would you pronounce that?

S: Marion? Mar-Ian?

B: I'm leanin' towards Mar-Ian. 1647 to 1717. She was a naturalist and science illustrator in the late 16 and early 1700's, who revolutionized botany and zoology with her detailed observations and drawings of insects, plants, and animals. Now, Merian published many books and collections of beautiful, natural engravings. Really, look her up. When you see them, you're like, “Yep, those are iconic, scientific illustrations.”

They were engravings, illustrations, paintings, and they made her famous, particularly for her drawings and meticulous observations of a butterfly metamorphosis. David Attenborough himself said that she's among the most significant contributors to the field of entomology.

Her work was especially revolutionary, considering the scientific attitude towards insects at that time. This was a little bit of a surprise. They were pretty much considered by everyone, especially scientists, as vile and disgusting, or even beasts of the devil.

S: Lord of the Flies.

B: Yes, right. That also means that no one really cared to learn much about them, including the amazing process of a metamorphosis, which was known about. I mean, they knew that that happened, but not many people understood it at all. So her findings taught scientists a great deal about that process. And of course, even the most rudimentary and critical facts, such as that they weren't created in rotting mud by spontaneous generation.

(Steve chuckles)

B: I mean, that (chuckles) was not a rare belief at that time. Remember, we're talking late 1600's. She was also among the first scientists to study insects as they lived, unlike most scientists at that time, who used preserved specimens, which of course, as you can imagine, is quite limiting. And of course, that would also give her insight into things that you just couldn't get any other way. Things about their habitats, their habits, and even how the local populations use the insects, when she went traveling.

Still, her findings were pretty much ignored by the scientific community for a little while, except the Germany high society. They were just eating that stuff up. And that's mainly because she wrote in the vernacular. She wrote in German, but she did not write in the language of science at that time, which of course, was Latin. So that's primarily, that's the main reason why, I think, that she was kind of dismissed.

In 1699, she was awarded a grant for scientific expedition to South America, to study the plants and animals, which may have been possibly the first such trip planned, that was explicitly and only for science. There's a little bit of confusion if she was the first, but I think it's fairly clear that she was, at the very least, the first European woman to do such a thing.

Very interesting, beautiful artwork, check her out, see what she's done. So remember Maria Sibylla Merian; mention her to your friends, perhaps after you put huge, fake insects in their beds or cars to scare the shit out of them.

(Rogues laugh quietly)

E: What, with Hallowe'en coming up.

C: Yeah

S: So, that was one of the acceptable vocations for a woman,

B: Yes,

S: at that time.

B: illustrations, yup.

S: Okay for them to do something artsy, like illustrate. And it was okay for them to study things like butterflies and flowers. So that was one (Cara giggles) of the acceptable science pathways for a woman at that time. But she made the most of it.

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